Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Events to mark 50 years of cityhood

By Mike Barrington
Northern Advocate·
19 May, 2014 08:43 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

City Mayor Sheryl Mai is getting set for celebrations as Whangarei became a city 50 years ago tomorrow. Photo/John Stone

City Mayor Sheryl Mai is getting set for celebrations as Whangarei became a city 50 years ago tomorrow. Photo/John Stone

Whangarei became a city 50 years ago and a special ceremony will be held in the Whangarei District Council (WDC) chambers tomorrow to mark the golden anniversary.

Major celebrations to mark the half-century are being planned for November, when in 1964 the new Whangarei City Council began a year of community events.

Whangarei borough was declared a city on May 21, 1964, a month before the Beatles came to our shores.

It was a different era with the Northern Advocate advertising a four-bedroom home in the Avenues selling for 3100 ($6200), Friesian heifers bringing 30-38 ($60-$76) at the Kauri saleyards, a new Ford Falcon station wagon cost 1150 ($2300) and the Marsden Pt oil refinery was just starting up.

Raymond Keefe was born at Whangarei Hospital on May 21 in 1964 and was credited with tipping the borough population past 20,000 into city status.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He became known as the Whangarei City baby and is now living in Australia.

WDC officials are hoping the first baby born at Whangarei Hospital tomorrow will become the Whangarei Golden Anniversary baby.

An intense week of City Celebrations, including parades, flower shows, balls and even a Miss Whangarei City competition, in May 1964 was followed in November by a year of 60 commemorative events tournaments, carnivals, exhibitions and shows which the WDC hopes to match with its 50th anniversary celebrations in November.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

WDC mayoral communication officer Sue Halliwell is appealing for residents with memorabilia and photographs of the 1964 events to loan them to the council for a commemorative display.

Wed also be keen to hear from any resident who shares a 50th birthday with the city, and would appreciate ideas for community events or, as Mayor Jack Johnson stated in 1964: Projects ... which would perpetuate the event and be of an everlasting nature.

Email the memorabilia and photographs to the council at mailroom@wdc.govt.nz or post them to the Whangarei District Council, Private Bag 9023, Whangarei 0148.

Mayor Sheryl Mai will mark the golden anniversary with karakia and a cake-cutting ceremony in the council chambers at Forum North tomorrow.

The Canopy Bridge and Te Matau a Pohe will be lit up in gold for a week.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe

Northern Advocate

Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

Business groups in the Far North are uniting to enhance community safety.

17 Jul 04:00 AM
Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe
Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe

17 Jul 02:17 AM
Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs
Northern Advocate

Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs

17 Jul 01:26 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP